St.John de Brito

Portugese nobility.
Son of the governor of Brazil.
Jesuit at the age of 15.
Priest.

Against the strenuous objections of his family, he volunteered for the missions in India in 1673.
There he studied the complex Indian caste system, and found that most converts belonged to the
lowest caste. He realized that for Christianity to have a lasting influence in India, higher caste
members must also convert. He established himself as an Indian ascetic, a Pandara Swami, lived  as they lived, dressed in saffron cloak and turban, and held retreats in the wilderness in
southern India where interested Indians could visit him.

In time he was accepted as a Swami, his reputation grew, and he converted as many as 10,000. Among them was a prince whom he told to give up his wives.

His success in converting Indians to Christianity brought the ire of the Brahmins, the highest Indian caste, and they decided to kill him. John and his catechists were imprisoned, tortured, and ordered to leave the country. When he refused, the rajah ordered John executed.

Died  dismembered and beheaded on 11 February 1693 in Oreiour, India

Beatified on 21 August 1853 by Pope Pius IX

Canonized in 1947 by Pope Pius XII